Steps
by XxdoctorwhofanxX
Summary: She became as natural as breathing. To stop would be to die. To continue would further consume. He just had to show her that. Stepping into the future...their future. SasuSaku One-Shot. Longer summary inside


**Full Summary:**

She became as natural as breathing. To stop would be to die. To continue would further consume. Stepping into the future..._their_ future. He just had to show her that. Because the sound of footsteps leaving the village didn't mean heart ache, it meant _trust._ Because travelling down that road leading out of Konoha didn't mean disappearing... it meant...

_... returning_

_...continuing to love_

_...living for each other_

That is what every footstep meant.

* * *

Some words from the Author:

Hey everyone, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for showing interest in this story, I hope you enjoy it.

I'd also like to notify my subscribers that I will be updating my main SasuSaku Fiction **Milton Hill** very soon.

That being said... let us begin...

* * *

"_For every ending there must be a new beginning..." [me]_

_Step. Step. Step._

That night nothing could be heard save the sound of footsteps of a returning shinobi from yet another completed mission.

The retrieval of a scroll stolen from a high ranking politician's home by some talent-less ninja. He tried not to comment on how ignorant a politician this man must have been as he was assigned the mission. Leaving classified documents on a desk in full view of a large balcony's window was something even a Genin would know better than to do.

The Hokage could deal with how to reprimand said politician, he just needed to retrieve the scroll.

Childs play really.

He rather an S-Ranked mission or at least A, but with none available he was going to have to take what he was given.

He accepted the distraction it provided from _it_.

From _her_.

To think of all the things that had happened in the past.

To think of everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

It seems to have become a routine...

* * *

Two months ago, Sasuke had returned to Leaf. Madara and Kabuto had been successfully killed by the village leaders, with a lot of help from Naruto and him.

He'd forgone his desire to destroy Leaf as he stood across from his former fellow villagers and academy classmates. To his side the remnants of what was once his revived eldest brother sat in a crumbled heap and shifted as the wind blew.

He could still remember the words Itachi said before he truly perished.

_Sasuke... if there is one thing I could wish for... one thing I could have now that this war has begun to come to a close, it would be for you to find your place in this world alongside your nakama. _

_Live long brother and live with nothing but the desire to grow strong for good. Cut the dark binds that our clan has tied around your heart and mind and let them fall to your feet as you step forward to take the Uchiha clan into a new period and begin the journey of your new life. _

_But take heed and remember, not everyone is as forgiving as Naruto. If you keep pushing them all away you will be alone, and I'll never be able to rest in peace. Open your heart and mind to new things little brother, surely you will be rewarded._

_I'll always watch over you..._

_Goodbye, otouto. _

Sasuke didn't really get much of a chance to say anything to his brother as he disappeared before his eyes, but he managed to reach out and grasp his aniki in his arms and hold him.

That was all the closure that both brothers needed.

Itachi passed on, and Sasuke fell to his knees.

It was his silent plea of forgiveness to all those from Leaf, to all those that he'd threatened to destroy.

Glancing up to see the reaction of his request for acceptance, he saw Naruto running like the mad fool that he was and tackle him to the floor in what seemed to be an attack, but was really a hug.

Slowly everyone else made their way across the field to see the two 'brothers' reunite. Gentle nods were passed on to the Uchiha as most shinobi in the field had been informed of the tragedy and sacrifice that plagued this young man and brother's life thus far.

Amidst the crowd two figures stood, one silver-haired and another pink, just behind the first row of people, and gazed at the pair with a mixture of feelings.

Kakashi was relieved that Sasuke had returned. He'd never quite voiced it out loud to everyone but he was almost certain that Team 7 would be forever remain broken and that Sasuke was a lost cause. He'd witnessed enough heart break, destruction, betrayal and avengers in his life time to become more of a sceptic than an optimist. It was a miracle the Naruto was never infected by his inner pessimism. So as he stood, watching two of his team mates seemingly punch each other in good will he couldn't help but wonder why his female student was keeping such distance from the pair, when all he could see in her eyes was joy.

Even Sai had stepped forward to try and welcome the Uchiha back.

Sakura however, kept her distance. When she was hailed over by Naruto she seemed to reluctantly take a few steps forward to satisfy his request.

As she neared the pair she tried hard to keep her gaze solely on Naruto and as he grabbed her in a head lock with one arm, and _him_ in a head lock with his other, she played her part and pretended that being near him didn't unsettle her. That whilst her heart overflowed with joy of his return, her instinctual sense of _fear_ and _distrust_ could not be tamed.

She simply prayed that Naruto hadn't been able to pick up on it and at that moment it seemed like she'd succeeded in doing so.

However, Sasuke noticed it. He'd noticed it all too easily and for the first time in his life, there was no the clear cut solution as to what he should do.

Your brother has murdered your family?

Destroy him and avenge your clan.

Konoha's council had manipulated your brother's honour and forced him to carry out a massacre?

Seek vengeance against the council.

Your brother's final wish?

Grant it.

Sakura's hesitation?

...

Nothing.

There was no clear cut solution. Nothing came to mind.

So as Sasuke returned to Konoha it irked him and plagued his mind, day after day, wondering what he could do. What _should_ he do as it became alarmingly clear that Haruno Sakura was no longer in his life. She lived, breathed, ate, laugh and cried in the same village as him, but mentally, she couldn't be further away from him if she tried.

It had been like this for one month, 1 week and 6 days.

Not that he was counting.

He had been reassured by the Hokage that the council were going to be tried and 'taken care of' privately, with the public simply being informed that they were too old and unfit to continue their duty and that the war had 'taken its toll' on the elders.

As the days rolled on, Konoha continued its long and laborious path of repairs. Most of the infrastructure of the village had been completed, now it was a matter of helping displaced families make new homes, finding the missing and honouring the dead.

Naruto had arranged many Team 7 dinners, lunches and practice sessions where possible, but with the state of the affairs of the village taking priority, the team had only ever managed to meet fully as a group once at Ichiraku's ramen stall.

Kakashi was sometimes summoned for help with political decisions (or hidden requests to do with the council member's trial), Sai aided in the search for those missing (presumed dead) and Naruto had been requested by the Hokage on many occasions to sit through many of her decision making processes. According to the Hokage, if he was to be the future Hokage of the village it was about time he understood the weight of such a dream and the burdens that came with the role.

Meanwhile, Sakura seemed to have an endless supply of work at the hospital. There were many wounded and critically ill shinobi and civilians that needed the attention of all medics in Konoha. With her obvious ranking and second-to-none skills, she was a hot commodity.

So more often than not the reason why a full Team 7 reunion couldn't happen was because Sakura was absent for work.

Sasuke doubted the credibility of her excuses for her numerous 'no-shows' at their dinners and lunches. It was clear.

She was avoiding him. Plain and simple. Yet even he could tell through some inner feeling that she was glad he was back.

Regardless of her contradictory behaviour Sasuke couldn't help but feel that he'd been expecting a different reaction from his team mate as they all settled back in to life in Konoha.

He would never admit it out loud, but he was disappointed.

During that one dinner where they'd all managed to attend nothing extraordinary had occurred. He'd noticed that Naruto had pulled Sakura aside just before they all sat down to order and hushed some words to her privately.

_Probably about me_.

It was also painfully obvious that Sakura had made a point of not sitting next to the Uchiha as she had done so many times in the past. Sasuke tried to convince himself that it didn't bother him, that he should be grateful that she wasn't fawning over him. She was nothing but a nuisance, a distraction, a burden.

Yet with all that said he still couldn't escape this feeling of emptiness, even as they all sat there together.

Was it because he hadn't actually seen her in so long? It must have been. She'd been so adamant on skipping their training sessions and meals that he felt like he hadn't seen her in years. At least she looked well.

Sasuke felt the tension between him and Sakura grow. It was such a bothersome feeling that he himself had run through many possible excuses to give to leave early.

But he never voiced them.

He wouldn't run away from this. He'd _never_ run from a problem in his life and he wasn't going to start now. The slight issue here was he didn't know _how_ to address this. He could barely understand what was going on.

As the meal ended and words of goodbye were exchanged Sakura had begun to walk back to her newly acquired small apartment. She loved her family dearly, but truth be told, she felt like she need a change. As if the end of the war had signalled to her that your new life must begin now.

As she hugged goodbye Naruto, Kakashi and Sai goodbye, she simply nodded her head to Sasuke, spoke a few pleasantry words and walked away.

They were all heading in different directions, or so Sasuke thought, until he noticed that Sakura was heading his way.

"Oi Sasuke! Walk Sakura back, the streets of Konoha aren't safe at this time of night!"

Hearing Naruto's request, Sakura turned and rather hotly replied, "Naruto! I think I can handle getting myself back home. There's no need for-"

"Aah."

Looking to her annoyingly attractive team mate she opened and closed her mouth twice before she settled on what to say. By now Naruto and the others had long gone, although his loud voice echoed down the street.

"Sasuke... that is kind of you... but really unnecessary."

_No._

That's what she was trying to say, wasn't it?

Haruno Sakura was rejecting a chance for her to be alone with Uchiha Sasuke.

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, had hell frozen over?

Stepping towards his female team mate with his eyes on her at all times, "You are walking in the same direction as I. It is no trouble."

The Uchiha compound was in this direction too, _of course._

Sakura felt stupid and a little embarrassed to think that he had agreed to go out of his way to walk her home. Of course he wouldn't, that wasn't like Sasuke, but what did she even know about Uchiha Sasuke?

"Of course." She voiced her thoughts and the pair slowly walked down the empty street that was only lit by the moonlight.

This was an eerily familiar setting for the pair.

"_I love you so much!... Don't leave!"_

"_Sakura... Arigato..."_

Tension.

It was back again in full glory.

Risking a glance at his team mate he felt this indescribable _need_ to know why she'd changed. Where had the Sakura he'd known gone to? Had he really know Haruno Sakura at all?

Doubts cast aside without a second thought he responded, "Yes."

Turning to her team mate in confusion, "...I'm sorry?"

"I know you."

She was confused. Had she been so lost in her thoughts that she'd accidently phased Sasuke out? Had he started a conversation and she had so rudely ignored him?

"...Ano..."

He'd stopped walking now, and stood in front of her blocking her way.

She simply gazed up at him wondering what on earth was going through his mind.

"You've been avoiding me."

Her whole body tensed for a fraction of a second and her eyes widened. Shifting her eyes to the left she held her tongue and didn't say anything.

Sasuke stood tall with his gaze firmly fixed on her.

Her eyes seemed to begin to glaze and her hair gently caressed her cheek as a small gentle breeze caught hold of her bangs. In the moonlight, Sasuke really saw just how green her eyes were. They weren't emerald green, they didn't hold that kind of green. Rather they were lighter, much lighter. They reminded him of open fields of greenery. Of nature.

Was that what she was? The human personification of mother nature? A wrath never to be taunted with but a giver of beautiful sceneries?

In her anger she was a hurricane, in her happiness she was a field of gold.

In her silence, there was nothing.

Her nonchalant attitude, her restriction of speech to simple pleasantries and her lack of presence in his life in Konoha _disturbed _him. It didn't feel right.

So there they were, standing in front of each other with either everything or nothing ahead of them.

"Why?" He'd taken the initiative to start this and he was going to get the answers he wanted.

Lightly shaking her head side to side Sakura's eyes seemed transfixed to a point just to the side of him, "I don't know... what to say."

"Explain to me your behaviour."

Sakura turned to look at him in all his beautiful but dangerous glory.

"Does it annoy you?"

She was taking risks again with her questions, almost purposefully tempting him to give her the harsh and cold responses she was so used to hearing from this man in front of her.

_Hurt me. Tell me everything my heart doesn't want to hear. That way... it'll be easier to forget you. Easier to shut you till you are nothing more than childhood memories riddled with regrets._

"...Yes it does."

"I apologise, that wasn't my intention. I'll try harder to stay out of your way from now on."

_What?_ He didn't understand. She had a small smile on her face, but her eyes... they looked _sad_. She began walking again, moving around him.

_Step. Step. Step._

Snatching her wrist he held her in place.

"Don't..."

"What?"

_Don't try harder to stay out of my way._

"Why are you avoiding me?"

She was closer now, her wrist was held at the level of her eyes as Sasuke towered over her.

It frightened her.

"Let go of me."

He noticed her discomfort. She'd shifted her weight to her back leg as she angled her body away from him.

A defensive stance.

As he released her wrist she took a few steps away, never allowing her back to face him.

The realisation of what was happening hit Sasuke a little harder than he'd expected. The woman in front of him, the Hokage's apprentice, the most skilled medical ninja and sole female member of Team 7...

...was _scared_ of him.

He was perplexed, confused and agitated all at once.

Things were becoming a little clearer now, she was scared of him because of his attempt to kill her. Twice.

Could he really blame her?

"You're frightened of me..."

"It is hardly surprising. You've tried to kill me twice and Naruto countless times..."

"And yet you welcomed me back to Konoha?"

Bull's-eye.

She supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Sasuke had managed to do such a simple psycho-analysis of her behaviour. It was embarrassing on his part that he hadn't suspected it sooner.

She was frightened of him because he'd tried to kill her and her loved ones.

But she was happy and relieved that he'd decided to come home.

"Ten out of ten for observational skills Sasuke."

She was _mocking_ him? His shock was visible on his face and Sakura couldn't help the satisfying feeling of throwing him off balance for once.

She continued, "I've chased after you with Naruto, Kakashi and Sai for so long Sasuke. The feelings behind that aim and my determination to bring you home haven't disappeared... they won't disappear..."

"...But..." He prompted her, this was the part he wanted to know.

"You betrayed us, you tried to _kill _us..."

"Didn't you try to kill me too?"

Snorting and looking at the ground momentarily, she raised her eyebrow and shifted her weight to one leg, "I never could have killed you... even if my life depended on it..."

She remembered the intensity of the day she was reunited with Sasuke once again. He blasted a Chidori to her, ironically aimed for the back of her neck. Then she tried to catch him off guard. She pumped chakara on the soles of her feet to stick her to the underside of the bridge and ran towards him. Kunai in hand her heart raced as she neared him. So close, there he was, clutching his eyes in pain, completely open for an attack. She focused on the spinal slot between his shoulder blades. Closer and closer... she was there and he hadn't even noticed her. Kunai gripped tightly in her hand, she thrust forward, this was it!

_Arigato... Sakura..._

How did he hold such power over her? How could one line be so overwhelming that it could break her resolve as a ninja, break her duty to her village to kill such an obvious threat to them.

Sasuke, remembered it well. Her second attempt to kill him, as she crept up behind him with a kunai pointed directly at his spine. She could have easily ended him as he was caught completely off guard. It was the shift in the air that he felt trickle across his ear that notified him of her, the shift in wind caused by her stopping her thrust... her hesitation.

Ironic, that the only time his life was truly threatened without him knowing whether he lived or died, would fall to her decision. At the time he mocked her hesitation.

Now, he was slightly touched at the obvious sincerity of her feelings to him.

So where had these feelings gone? Nowhere according to what she just said. So she's hidden them?

Her sigh snapped him from his thoughts and she spoke. She was truly looking at him now, no distractions, her full attention.

"Sasuke... I don't _trust _you."

It was like he had been impaled. Why did it hurt this much? Surely his logical mind could comprehend this decision. It was a wise one.

Maybe... just maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he'd been naive and had thought that since Naruto, Kakashi and even Sai had welcomed him back as if nothing had changed... Sakura would too.

Sakura meanwhile was trying to decipher his reaction. She didn't understand what he was thinking. His eyes had shifted down to his feet, almost like an act of _shame._ But Uchiha Sasuke knew no shame, did he not?

The image of a bowed down Uchiha on his knees asking for forgiveness came to mind. Sakura wondered if in those few minutes when Sasuke requested forgiveness he had turned a new leaf. Started a new. Changed the core of his ways of being.

People changed, she knew that. Who would have thought she would ever be so cautious around the man she loved so dearly? Or even questioned the purity of his motives?

Time was a cruel thing that altered our perceptions, but sometimes, it was for the good.

"I understand." He responded.

That was it. Case closed, story complete, the end of Sasuke and Sakura as she knew it.

She shut her eyes. Pausing in silence as she tried to come to terms with the finality of those two words he uttered. It was a hard notion. She would never deny the longing she felt towards the man who somehow now stood no further than two feet in front of her. It was an indescribable bond that was so obviously imbalanced. There was only so much she could give before she collapsed.

Opening her eyes and readying herself to leave she gazed at his chest that was slightly revealed.

She wasn't expecting him to reach forward with one hand and to thread his fingers through hers.

"Now I understand..."

She greeted him with pleasantries because she cared for him. She kept him at bay because she feared him.

"Sakura, I will earn your trust back."

"What makes you think you can?"

"You aren't pulling away."

He was right, she hadn't even flinched when he took her hands. It felt good, his palms were warm and as he cradled her hands she felt surrounded. It was a strangely comfortable feeling. It was something she felt like she _missed_ even though it was a sensation she'd never physically experienced in her life.

She didn't understand, no less than one minute ago simply him holding her wrist set her ninja radars blaring, but this gentle reaching out felt natural.

Curse him and the power he had over her.

"That doesn't mean I trust you."

"No... but I will prove my worth, show my loyalty and earn your trust once again."

"And if I refuse your sentiments? Forgive me Sasuke, but it's a little difficult to believe that you'd care about what I think of you. This just feels like a trick. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...shame on me."

Her scepticism was loud and clear. How could he convey the sincerity of his feelings now? How could he demonstrate to her that to him earning her trust – no, becoming _worthy_ in her eyes was a goal worth fighting for.

"No one is fooling anyone Sakura. I wronged you and I want to make things right."

"But _why?_"

In his mind his brothers final words skimmed through, but perhaps what stood out more were the childhood memories of Team 7. Of Sakura's annoyingly clingy fangirl-ing that was the disguise for a much deeper well of feelings for him. Something he to some extent reciprocated. She was what he called 'an important friend', someone worth dying for, worth fighting for. What could be held in higher regard than that?

But how could he express the depth of these emotions he felt, the depth of the importance of making things right again with her? That there was no Team 7 without her natural presence. That without her he felt _lonely_.

He responded with what naturally seemed to roll off his tongue.

"Because I'm Sasuke...and you're Sakura..."

Her breathe quickened and her voice was lost. She couldn't speak. Did he understand the significance of that statement? It meant that...

"...one without the other is meaningless" He was caressing her knuckles as he finished his thoughts and staring at her with such gentleness it _ached._

"Sasuke..."

He stepped forward, surrounding his arms around her and pulling her slowly into him.

The pair had shut their eyes and simply basked in the atmosphere that surrounded them. For the first time in her life Sakura felt his breathing, she felt his raw skin. As his chest rose it pushed a little firmer into her cheekbone and she relished at the extra contact.

Sasuke felt this overwhelming desire to keep her close to him, like nothing he'd felt before. He felt it his _duty_ to earn this woman's trust once again, because her standing this close to him with her breathe stroking his bare chest, made him feel complete.

"I'll earn your trust back Sakura... no matter how long it takes, however many obstacles there will be."

_You've already started to break the walls around my heart Sasuke, except your doing it from the inside, where you've always been and always will be. _

"You might regret saying that Uchiha..."

"Sasuke...kun..."

Snapping her head up to look at him she saw his mouth tugged up on one corner with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't push it." She hastily replied.

He chuckled and what a glorious sound it was as she felt the reverberations through his chest.

"Come."

He stepped back, keeping his fingers securely fastened through hers as they walked towards their homes.

It was surreal, and yet at the same time, felt like the most completely natural experience in the world.

Her apartment complex was within sight. Slowly the couple ascended two flights of stairs till they walked along the dimly lit balcony-like corridor and reached her apartment's front door.

She didn't really think of inviting him in, they hadn't crossed that bridge yet. But at the rate they were going, that bridge wasn't looking too far away.

As she stood beneath her door frame she turned to face him, "Well, this is my stop..."

He casually leant against the wall beside her home's entrance.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Oh, I don't know, I've got a full shift at the hospital and-"

"I'll come to your office during your lunch break."

It _was_ possible and she had to give him a chance to redeem himself, but more importantly, she had to give _them_ at a chance at happiness.

"Sasuke?"

"Mm?"

"This ... isn't a game for me. If your intentions aren't-"

Silencing her with a kiss to the corner of her lips, he'd managed to interrupt her again this evening.

"I never lie Sakura... Goodnight."

Feeling embarrassment creep up the back of his neck at his bold gesture, Sasuke turned around and quickly walked out of her line of sight.

That was the most 'romantic' gesture he'd made in his life and the strangest part was that he never had any idea or intention of instigating something more than a platonic relationship with her.

He didn't say the things he said with romance in mind but the natural instinct and impulse to kiss her, hold her hands, walk her home, felt _right_.

Lifting her hand to touch her lips she stood there for a good few minutes staring at the spot he once stood.

The spot where he'd kissed her.

_What the hell is going on..._

She fled for her bedroom, and he his.

Things were playing out and it felt like neither of them knew what would come next.

* * *

He'd been assigned a mission schedule. It would be the first of its kind since his return. This happened roughly three weeks into Sasuke's personal mission of regaining his place in Sakura's life. Things had progressed faster than he anticipated. They'd eat lunch together, sometimes stroll through the streets of Konoha if she could spare more time or drop by Ichiraku with the rest of Team 7 for food.

Slowly but surely the ties that were between them were being woven with even stronger threads. Things weren't as they used to be.

They were even better.

Today they were doing what they usually did, eating and relaxing in her office.

As they chatted away, their hands fumbling together, he'd taken the chance to tell her of his mission schedule. He'd be going away on a few solo missions for the coming period.

It was the Hokage's extremely risky method of testing his loyalty apparently. If he didn't return, there would be an even greater bounty for his head on a silver platter. Whilst that once may have been a substantial enough threat to make him think twice about leaving Konoha, the greater threat was losing everything he'd gained with the woman beside him.

As Sasuke informed her of his future comings and goings she couldn't help but feel disappointed and Sasuke picked up on this.

"It'll be fine Sakura."

"Mmm..." He was beginning to rub off on her, as annoying as it was for her to admit.

"Things will change though..."

She looked at him, trying to hide her fear of what his words meant and failing miserably.

Chuckling he scooted closer to her on the sofa in her office. Bento's laid open and eaten on her small coffee table with plastic cups drained of their drink.

"Afterall, distance makes the heart grow fonder."

"Sasuke... you ass..." She smacked him on his arm and he just chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they leant back against the sofa, curled into one another.

With one hand fumbling with hers he used his other to gently grasp her chin and tilt her face up towards him.

He didn't feel embarrassed or scared anymore. To him this was to be as natural as greeting her, as natural as wishing her a good day... as natural as breathing.

His pressed his lips upon hers and drew her in closer.

They kissed, touched and savoured until he had to go train and she had to go heal.

* * *

He'd managed to tell her a quick goodbye before he left. He didn't want her to walk him to the gates of Konoha as he left. It brought back memories that were unnecessary and because this time, he was coming back of his own free will.

And so he left, completed his mission, returned, sought her out and then fell back into their usual routine until duty called once again.

* * *

He was grateful for the missions.

He accepted the distraction it provided from _it_.

From _her_.

She _consumed_ his thoughts when he was in Konoha.

To think of all the things that had happened in the past.

To think of everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

To think of all the progress they'd made.

To think of all the unchartered territories that they'd stepped into.

He welcomed the temporary interruption to the intensity of her presence in his mind but he was no fool, he remembered the very saying he'd told her before his first mission...

_Distance makes the heart grow fonder..._

He'd never get over the sensation of seeing her after every mission, the feelings that rippled through him as he held her, kissed her and realised that all this time...

...he loved her.

_= xXx = xXx = xXx = xXx =_

So there we have it people! My first SasuSaku One-Shot.

What did you think? ^-^

Please **review! **

Don't worry, I will still be continuing my main SasuSaku fiction **Milton Hill**

I just needed a little break from it, and I thought a one-shot would be a lovely way to re-energise myself : )

I have another slightly shorter one-shot in mind, did we enjoy this one enough to request another one?

As always, I live off of your **reviews** : )

Hope you enjoyed this

M x


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